Date: Fri 13-Aug-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Fairfield-Hills-town-ownership

Full Text:

A Town-Owned Fairfield Hills: Crowning Glory Or Crown Of Thorns?

(with photo)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Every town leader wants to leave office with a favorable legacy. First

Selectman Herb Rosenthal is no different, so when it comes to the disposition

of Fairfield Hills, he does not want to be remembered as the guy who let it

get away. On the other hand, neither does he want to be remembered as the man

responsible for saddling Newtown with a white elephant.

The Fairfield Hills looms as the biggest issue of Mr Rosenthal's

administration. Although the property's fate will not fall completely on the

first selectman's shoulders, it will fall on his watch. And that is what

people will remember.

Rival Republicans have already put their faith in Mr Rosenthal by opting not

to run a candidate against him in the November election, but even without an

election opponent, Mr Rosenthal faces the considerable political risk of

making the wrong decision on Fairfield Hills.

With that in mind, Mr Rosenthal is keeping an open mind to all three

development proposals and, a fourth option, for the town to purchase the

property. Newtown will ultimately have right-of-first-refusal on the land and

many believe the town could get the land and adjoining buildings for a fair

price. Right now, though, the state's asking price is $12 million, although

each of the three developers is offering to purchase the property for $2-3

million.

Seizing The Opportunity

Last year, the possibility of the town buying the property was not even

considered, but a group of Newtown residents, headed by Ruby Johnson, has

helped give that option some momentum. They believe Fairfield Hills provides

the answer to many of Newtown's current growing pains. For them, the question

is simple. Does the town of Newtown want to buy Fairfield Hills to have for

its future land needs or does it want the property to fall into the hands of a

developer for housing?

"Let's buy it while we have the chance so that the town will have it in

perpetuity," Mrs Johnson said. "People in town may not have all the facts, but

they know that if it's lost, that's it," she said. "We don't want someone from

the outside coming in. We want to control this."

Members of the group which calls itself "Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown" see

the property as one of the last significant pieces of land in town. Only town

ownership will ensure that proposed uses (such as age-restricted housing) are

enforced. Also, they say, town ownership can slow the pace of development,

providing time for careful planning of its best usage.

"Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown" says it has a vision that goes above and

beyond mere consideration of costs.

"We want people to know that there is another choice. It's for Newtown's use,"

Mr Johnson said. "We have a vision. We don't want to see apartments and condos

up there."

Housing is the mainstay in each of the three development proposals. It is

really the only way developers can make any money. The group wonders, however,

whether the developers will stick to their master plans.

"While they may promise that few children will enter the school system and

that public service expenditures will be offset by tax revenue, those who

support the purchase say town ownership can guarantee that more or different

housing will not be added at a later date," read a recent statement by the

group.

Buying Fairfield Hills also provides a "financial" alternative to the proposed

23,000-square-foot addition to Edmond Town Hall currently outlined in a report

submitted by the municipal space needs committee and Kaestle Boos Architects.

The thought of the town owning the 186-acre Fairfield Hills property has

excited imaginations of its proponents, and the list of residents in favor of

that plan continues to grow. Many of them are known for their conservative

fiscal beliefs.

Dr Tom Draper is strongly in favor of the purchase and brings a spiritual

health perspective to his thinking. The town is in need of walker-friendly

space, he said. There is no peaceful place for people to go and commune with

nature around here. Maybe the town could build office space or even a golf

course to support it, Dr Draper suggested, pointing to the self-sustaining

Richter Park, the successful municipal golf course in the Aunt Hack section of

Danbury.

The longtime Newtown pediatrician shudders at the thought of the land being

developed by someone other than the Town of Newtown.

"The developers will develop Fairfield Hills for their own interest. Then

they'll move on to the next project. Once it's done, the town will be a lesser

town as a result," he said.

Parks & Recreation Commission chairman Larry Haskel sees Fairfield Hills being

used for ball fields, senior housing, some commercial use, and some sort of

corporate headquarters.

"You get one shot at it. This is your chance to do it," he said. "This is no

longer an $8 million deal. It looks more like a $2 million deal with the

liability on top of that."

Mr Haskel says he would rather see the town risk buying the land than risk

losing the land. "It's a risk either way, but sometimes you have to go for

it," he said.

"Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown" is proposing a town agency to administer

the development of Fairfield Hills after it is purchased.

The town has hired Richard Harrall of Harrall-Michalowski Associates (HMA) to

conduct an economic analysis of each of the three developers, as well as the

impact if the town bought the land. The results of that analysis are due soon.

Drawbacks

Mr Rosenthal sees the merit in a town purchase, but also sees the down side of

a town acquiring land with no clearly stated purpose for its use.

"The advantage to buying the property is we would be able to control what

happens there. The disadvantage is it would be hard to pull off," he said.

Plus, he said, even if the town did manage to buy the property for $2-3

million, the cost to abate and demolish buildings could be four times higher

than the selling price.

Currently, it costs the state $1 million each year simply to maintain and

secure Fairfield Hills. The continuing expense and liability is one reason why

the original Fairfield Hills advisory committee agreed not to recommend a town

purchase of the property.

Mr Rosenthal also notes that many of the land, school and office space needs

of the town are provided in the proposals submitted by the three developers.

"All of them have senior housing, one has a school, two of the three offer

playing fields or some space to the town," Mr Rosenthal said. "It seems like

all of those development proposals have some of what people want."

What many residents may not know is that the developers are not offering

anything for free. Schools, ball fields, etc. all would come at a price to the

town.

There are other questions, too. If the developer built the school for the

town, would it be eligible for state aid since the bidding process (required

by the state) would not have taken place?

The first selectman says he does not favor purchasing the buildings and

hanging on to them for future use.

"That would be the height of folly for the town," he said.

Mr Rosenthal said buying the land would essentially remove Fairfield Hills

from the tax rolls. That loss should be added into the cost of acquisition,

development, maintenance, etc. It would be a huge impact, he said.

The developers have each estimated that $100 million-plus of intense

development at Fairfield Hills would generate an additional one mill in tax

revenues for the town.

Mr Rosenthal envisions the town purchasing the land and then struggling to

find an agreement on what to use it for. One possibility, he said, would be to

buy the land in partnership with one of the developers. It is a plan of which

advisory committee member Walter Motyka is in favor.

Mr Motyka would like to see Newtown stay out of the real estate business and

allow a good-intentioned developer to move in. Ideally, the developer would

provide a major income-producing presence soon after. However, none of the

developers have proposed this kind of presence. The existing buildings on the

site do not lend themselves to big business, and they would be expensive to

tear down. Certainly Newtown does not want to get involved in tearing them

down, Mr Motyka said.

One of the three prospective developers, Wilder & Balter, has proposed a

contingency plan if the town expresses interest in purchasing Fairfield Hills.

According to that plan, Wilder & Balter would buy the property from the state,

demolish and clear the buildings the town does not want, clean up all

environmental problems on the site, and then turn the property over to Newtown

in turn-key condition for $13 million.